This film contains examples of:

Anachronic Order: Although the underlying plotlines are chronological, the film utilizes a great deal of flashbacks, flash forwards, and even flashbacks-within flashbacks to the arrival to and battle at Iwo Jima, resulting in the entire film playing out like this.

A Fate Worse Than Death: It's arguable that the surviving flag raisers had it worse off than the ones who died in battle. Ira can never escape his unwanted fame and PTSD and becomes an alcoholic, while Rene lives the rest of his life as a high school janitor. Even Doc prefers never to speak of Iwo Jima again.

Artistic License – Economics: Some of the statements Bud Gerber makes about the war bond drives and the availability of oil are simply wrong. That said, he may have been exaggerating for effect to get the reluctant trio of Ira, Rene, and Doc to keep supporting the bond drives by sticking to the narrative created in the popular consciousness in 1945.

Downer Ending: The flag raisers who weren't killed in the fighting basically have their lives ruined. Only one character gets a decent ending.

Fake Ultimate Hero: Deconstructed with the three survivors. Each repeatedly insists that they did nothing heroic and merely survived and are clearly uncomfortable with the level of press they get praising them as heroes. But they have to pretend anyway to raise money for the war effort. Ira takes it especially badly, becoming a washed-up alcoholic.

Gory Discretion Shot: We never actually what was inflicted on Iggy but rather base it on Doc's reaction.

Just Train Wrong: At :43:05, an EMD "F" unit can be seen pulling a train carrying New Hampshire hero Rene Gagnon into Manchester, NH While EMD was indeed building this style of locomotive starting in 1939, A careful inspection of spotting details reveals the lead loco to be an EMD F9, a post-war model not introduced until 1953.

Not only are the diesels the wrong model, but their paint scheme is incorrect as well. The scene takes place in Manchester, NH in 1945 so the locomotives should be painted in the Boston & Maine Railroad's famous maroon and gold "Minuteman" paint scheme. Instead, the engines are painted in their original Burlington Northern paint schemes, a railroad that didn't even exist until 1970 [1]. This is somewhat understandable given the filming location (Glencoe, Illinois) and the almost non-existant availability of Boston & Maine diesels, however a working Boston & Maine streamliner operates at a tourist railroad in New Hampshire [2].

Glencoe, Illinois stood in as Manchester, NH and the Glencoe station [3]◊ is visually similar to Amoskeag Depot [4], a railroad station that still stands in Manchester. However, when Rene Gagnon arrived in Manchester in 1945, he arrived at Manchester Union Station [5]◊ (which was torn down in 1962), not Amoskeag Station. Plus, Glencoe is far less urban than the City of Manchester.

Kill 'em All: Six men are in the photo (two in the back row). Of those six, three are later killed on Iwo Jima and one severely wounded. The remaining three die years later.

Propaganda Machine: Part of the plot centers around turning the men pictured in the suddenly-world-famous photo into celebrities, so that they can go on tour and sell enough war bonds to keep the war going.

Snipe Hunt: Provides one of the few lighthearted moments in the film. A higher-ranking Marine asks the others in his group if they have their Masturbation Papers in order, and when one Marine (presumably the one who isn't in on the joke) says he doesn't, he's told to run and ask for them, because if he doesn't get them he can't ship out.

Tokyo Rose: Under her true but less well known pseudonym "Orphan Ann".

War Is Hell: All three men are scarred by their experiences, even unto old age.

Blessed with Suck: In one particularly cringe-inducing scene, a family of tourists gets Ira Hayes's supervisor to call him over to shake hands with them and show him off like a trick-pony, after which the father hands Hayes a dollar.

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